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The Council of Europe on Oct. 7 approved a “comprehensive framework” designed to protect the rights of intersex people.
ILGA-Europe in a press release notes the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers unanimously adopted the Recommendation on Equal Rights for Intersex Persons.
The European LGBTQ and intersex rights group, along with Organization Intersex International Europe, note the recommendation “covers a comprehensive range of topics for the advancement and protection of intersex rights, from the prohibition of non-consensual interventions and treatments, access to justice, redress and monitoring mechanisms, tackling hate crime and hate speech, prohibiting discrimination in the areas of education, employment and sport.” The organizations also point out the recommendation “covers access to health and social care, right to family and private life, the right to seek asylum, and data collection.”
“The recommendation provides thorough guidance to Member States on closing persisting legal gaps, particularly as related to prohibiting intersex genital mutilation (IGM), as well as recognizing sex characteristics as a necessary protected ground for discrimination,” notes ILGA-Europe and Organization Intersex International Europe. “The recommendation paves the way for the establishment of clear, standardized human rights protections for persons with variations of sex characteristics across the Council of Europe region.”
The Council of Europe is a European human rights body with 46 member states that operates independently of the European Union.
The Council of Europe’s recommendations are not legally binding. ILGA-Europe and Organization Intersex International Europe nevertheless applauded Tuesday’s unanimous vote.
“As the first comprehensive international human rights instrument dedicated to the protection of persons with variations of sex characteristics, the Recommendation marks a historic and much-needed milestone,” said Organization Intersex International Europe Executive Director Dan Christian Ghattas. “It powerfully highlights the significant gaps in rights protections that intersex individuals continue to face and provides clear guidance to States on how to address them.”
“We urge States to act without delay to fully implement the recommendation and uphold the human rights of all intersex persons,” added Ghattas.
The National LGBT Media Association represents 13 legacy publications in major markets across the country with a collective readership of more than 400K in print and more than 1 million + online. Learn more here: NationalLGBTMediaAssociation.com.
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